No More Mosaic Law? Introduction

No More Mosaic Law? Introduction

A while ago I wrote about my secret inner struggle. For those who haven’t read it, the short version is that my understanding of the scriptures was fractured for years. I saw two different sides of my Bible and had nothing more than a very vague notion of how to reconcile them.

How did the law of the Old Testament really fit with the New Testament?

How did obedience and grace relate?

Why were things that were such a big deal to God on the left side of my Bible suddenly treated like they were no longer important to Him on the right?

There seemed to exist no legitimate hope of finding truly satisfying answers to my questions. Sure, I had the standard responses down, but they weren’t comprehensive enough to keep questions from reappearing.

The turn in events came when I began listening to my inner count. That was the first moment I had hope for lasting peace and reconciliation of the scriptures. That was when the answers first started coming. As I approached the scriptures with this fresh sense of hope, I found that they were making sense like never before.

Interestingly, it seemed like the majority of the Old and New Testament presented the Mosaic Law in a very favorable light. But then again there were lots of New Testament verses that seemed to paint the law in a very UNfavorable light. Believing that the Bible cannot be contradictory, I pressed into these verses. As I did, I found some very interesting things.

Being the total nerd that I am, I’ve been putting all my findings together into these posts. I figured there must be some fellow believers out there interested in checking them out. (Surely I’m not really the only one with questions about these verses, right?)

As I complete posts about each individual scripture, I’ll link them below. They most likely won’t be done in order, and I can’t guarantee that I’ll get to them in a timely manner. I’ve been sitting on about a dozen half-completed posts for months now. I’m hoping that by publishing this initial post, I’ll get into gear and finish what I’ve started. 😛

Things that our Savior did/said that seem to contradict the Law of Moses

John 5:18 – “This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath …”

John 8:1-11 – “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Things other people did/said that seem to contradict the Law of Moses

Acts 15:19-20 “Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood.”

Acts 20:7 – “On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread…”

Things Paul did/said that seem to contradict the Law of Moses

Romans 6:14 – “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.”

Romans 7:4 – “Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.”

Romans 10:4 – “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”

Romans 14:5 – “One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.”

Galatians 5:4 – “You are severed from Christ, you who would be justifiedby the law; you have fallen away from grace.”

Ephesians 2:14-16 – “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.”

Colossians 2:14 – “…by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.”